Azeem Rafiq is open to the idea of Michael Vaughan helping reshape cricket and suggests he could be a valuable asset

Key Highlights :

1. Azeem Rafiq has welcomed the idea of meeting up with former England Test captain Michael Vaughan in the wake of the racism case that has plagued cricket.

2. Last Friday, Vaughan was cleared by a Cricket Discipline Commission panel of using racist language after being accused of making a racist comment towards four Asian team-mates at Yorkshire in 2009.

3. He had been accused of telling Rafiq, Adil Rashid , Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan : "There are too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that."

4. But Vaughan, who vehemently denied the accusation throughout, was cleared of his racism charge from the ECB "on the balance of probabilities" BBC will 'hold talks' with Michael Vaughan over return after being cleared in racism case

5. Piers Morgan and Azeem Rafiq in bitter spat after Michael Vaughan cleared in racism case

6. And now Rafiq, who met up with Vaughan 18 months ago in what the former England Test skipper described as "positive and constructive discussions" before the ECB charged him in June last year, says he is willing to speak to the 48-year-old again.

7. When asked if he would be open to a meeting with Vaughan in the future, Rafiq replied: "Yeah, absolutely. Ultimately it can't be about me, it can't be about Michael. This has got to be about the game, and the game's failings up to this point.

8. I feel that the game has an opportunity through the CDC findings but also through the ICEC report (the Independent Commission on Equity in Cricket findings which are expected to be published this week).

9. Michael Vaughan was cleared of racism by a Cricket Discipline Commission panel ( Image: PA)

10. The game's got a very simple choice. It's either going to confront its failings and really make a commitment and drive forwards together, or it's going to live in the level of denial that it has continued to for a long period of time and we're going to end up with another Azeem Rafiq in 20 years' time, or probably not even that long."

     Michael Vaughan was cleared by a Cricket Discipline Commission panel on Friday of using racist language towards Azeem Rafiq and three other Yorkshire players before a match in 2009. The former England captain was found not guilty of three charges of bringing the game into disrepute, after a three-day hearing at Lord's. Vaughan was accused of using a racist term towards Rafiq, the then-Yorkshire captain, during a County Championship match at Headingley in September 2009. Rafiq, who is now with Essex, told the hearing that Vaughan had called him a " Paki c***" and a "terrorist". Vaughan denied the allegations, insisting that he had used the term in jest. The CCC panel was unanimous in its decision not to sanction Vaughan, with chairman David Boon saying that the evidence did not support a finding of racism. "The use of the term 'Paki c***' was not racially motivated," Boon said. "It was a term used in jest and there was no intention to cause offence." Vaughan was also cleared of using a similar term towards Yorkshire's then-captain, Andrew Flintoff, and bowlers Simon Kerrigan and Clive Lloyd. The CCC panel heard that the four players had been taking part in a "punch-up" in the changing room before the match, and that Vaughan had used the term to refer to Rafiq. Flintoff and Kerrigan both testified that Vaughan had used the term "Paki c***", while Lloyd said that he had heard Vaughan use the term " Paki bastard". Boon said that the evidence did not support a finding that Vaughan had used the term with racist intent. "The use of the term 'Paki c***' was not racially motivated," Boon said. "It was a term used in jest and there was no intention to cause offence." Vaughan, who retired from international cricket in May 2011, was initially suspended by Yorkshire following the allegations, but the club later withdrew the suspension. The CCC panel also heard evidence from Vaughan's father, who said that his son had used the term in a "light-hearted" way.

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